This invention relates generally to an orthopedic vest and, more particularly, to an orthopedic vest that supports and restrains a person""s arm and does not subject the person to neck or back strain.
A person who has suffered a dislocated shoulder, has suffered a broken arm, wrist, etc., or has undergone surgery related to such medical conditions must take great care to keep the affected joint or limb as immobilized as possible for a period of time so as to promote proper healing. Various devices have been proposed in the art for stabilizing an arm or shoulder, such as those slings or devices shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,559,640, 4,878,490, and 5,095,894. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing devices do not provide a vest that is easy to put on, remove, and adjust by the wearer as needed.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an arm-sling vest that is easy to slip on or off without requiring an affected arm to be threaded into a cradle element. Further, it is desirable to have an arm-sling vest in which the wearer may easily adjust the orientation of their arm at any time. In addition, it is desirable to have an arm-sling vest that is adjustable by the wearer to accommodate persons of different size or as personal comfort dictates.
An arm-sling vest according to the present invention provides front and back vest panels that are essentially coextensive and integrally constructed at an upper end with each panel including a free edge opposite the upper end. The front and back vest panels define an opening at the upper end that permits the panels to be inserted over a person""s head and rest upon the person""s shoulders. The arm-sling vest is sleeveless and the front and back vest panels substantially cover a person""s torso when fitted over the person""s head. The front and back vest panels include hook and loop material adjacent the free edges thereof such that the panels may easily be releasably connected together or released by the wearer. This also enables the wearer to easily readjust the fit of the arm-sling vest during wear, as comfort preferences may dictate.
The arm-sling vest includes a pair of spaced apart straps attached to the front vest panel. A corresponding pair of retainer patches are also attached to the front vest panel at positions upwardly adjacent to the respective strap attachments. The straps and retainer patches also include hook and loop fasteners such that the straps may be wrapped about the wearer""s arm and then secured to a respective patch. As the straps are separate and independent, one strap may, for example, be positioned to allow a portion of a person""s arm to droop while the other strap may be positioned to cause another portion of the arm to be raised. This allows an arm to be held in a plurality of configurations and such configurations may be modified by the wearer easily and by using only one hand.
Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide an arm-sling vest for immobilizing and stabilizing a person""s shoulder, arm, wrist, or the like.
Another object of this invention is to provide an arm-sling vest, as aforesaid, which is easy for a user to put on and take off without assistance.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an arm-sling vest, as aforesaid, that is adjustable for use by persons of different sizes.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an arm-sling vest, as aforesaid, that may be laundered in a conventional manner.
A further object of this invention is to provide an arm-sling vest, as aforesaid, which may be used to support either of a person""s arms without changing the vest""s configuration.
A still further object of this invention is to provide an arm-sling vest, as aforesaid, which enables the wearer to adjust the angle at which his arm is supported.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.